Stevie J has always been one of Diddy’s most loyal associates—even dating back to him being a part of the Bad Boys Hitmen production team.
via: HipHopDX
Speaking to TMZ for their documentary The Downfall of Diddy: Inside the Freak-Offs, the producer and longtime Diddy collaborator said that the shocking video hurt both himself and the Bad Boy boss.
“After I saw the video, I went and saw him in Miami and we had a conversation. I let him know how affected I was by that. I didn’t know he had that in him to do that,” the former Hitmen member said. “My conversation with him was basically like, ‘You’re one of my heroes out here, you hurt me with that.’
“It was a real emotional moment […] He was hurt that that video came out. It crushed him because he was like, ‘My daughters and my moms gotta see this.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, and your friends gotta see it too!'”
When pressed by TMZ‘s Harvey Levin if Puffy was more hurt by his attack on Cassie or the fact that it was made public, Stevie J replied: “I believe both hurt him. What he did on the video, he couldn’t believe that that was the darkest point in his life and he had to re-live that and see that again with his ex-girlfriend of 10 years.
“Who wants to see themselves beating on a girl in a video? I think that would hurt all of us — any man […] I just know that he was in a dark place in his life, as he described to me, and he was doing a lot of drugs.”
After previously denying that he had ever been abusive towards Cassie, who sued him for sexual assault and sex trafficking last year, Diddy apologized for assaulting her after the footage surfaced.
In a since-deleted video posted on Instagram, a solemn-sounding Diddy said: “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that. I was fucked up — I mean, I hit rock bottom — but I make no excuses.
“My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now.”
After revealing that he sought out therapy and rehab after the incident, the mogul added: “I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
The attack, which took place on March 5, 2016, shows Diddy grabbing Cassie by the neck and throwing her to the floor in the hallway of a hotel in Los Angeles.
He then kicks her repeatedly, grabs her personal items away from her, then kicks her once again before running back to his hotel room, all while wearing nothing but a towel.
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